All publications

This policy brief presents the preliminary findings from field research conducted by the Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies in Baalbek, Lebanon. The brief explores the relationship between human security programming, state-centric security policies, and PVE efforts there. It discusses interesting fa...

This policy brief presents the preliminary findings from WANA Institute field research in Ajloun about the relation between human security, state-centric security policies, and efforts for preventing violent extremism. The brief offers unique insights into the perceptions of Ajloun residents of thes...

This policy brief presents the preliminary findings from WANA Institute field research in Russeifa. The brief offers unique insights into the perceptions of Russeifa residents of the relationship between human security, state security policies, and efforts aimed at preventing violent extremism. The ...

This infographic brief contains the key takeaways from our research on Syrian refugee labour inclusion in Jordan. The research measures and tracks economic and social cohesion outcomes using quantitative and qualitative data collected over a 3-year period. The findings provide an objective starting ...

This policy brief presents the preliminary findings from WANA Institute field research in Tafileh. The brief offers unique insights into the perceptions of Tafileh residents of the relationship between human security, state security policies, and efforts aimed at preventing violent extremism. The di...

This publication provides policy-makers, donors, and other stakeholders with a relevant quantitative framework for understanding the relationship between investment and employment across key economic sectors in Jordan.

In late 2016 — just months after the signing of the Jordan Compact — the WANA Institute and Mercy Corps set out to measure the impact of Syrian labour on Jordan’s economy. This research initiative, which has spanned two years, has resulted in several publications. Notable highlights and key conclusi...

This report — the first in a series of three studies — includes initial viewpoints on how the return of Syrian refugees would impact Jordanian labour, employment, housing rents, consumption, and government spending. Drawing primarily on the first-hand accounts of community-based organisations in Amm...

This report — the second piece in a three-part study — reviews the body of research that has been conducted on Syrian participation in the labour market and assess the impact that the Syrian refugees had on the Jordanian labour market between 2012 and 2016.

This policy brief presents the preliminary findings from WANA Institute field research with around 80 participants in Karak. The brief offers a descriptive account of the attitudes towards and perceptions of Karak residents of the relationship between human security, state security policies, and eff...

The signing of the Jordan Compact in February 2016 unleashed a wave of optimism that a larger workforce combined with improved trade access for industrial goods would ignite a surge in growth of Jordan’s manufacturing sector. Between 2010 and 2016, GDP from manufacturing in Jordan grew by 13 per cen...

By mid-September 2018, the Bashar al-Assad regime was poised to launch a military campaign on the last major opposition stronghold in Idlib, Syria. With considerable military buildup, it seemed that a wide-scale operation to retake the province—one that would have threatened the estimated 2.5 millio...

This paper seeks to examine the regional peace and security nexus, with a specific focus on youth. It argues that without human-centric security paradigms with youth at their core, the persistence of state-centric security paradigms will continue to flare anger, yielding further regional instability...

April 2018 marked two years of Jordan’s landmark decision to allow limited working rights to Syrian refugees. This report provides an overview of the progress that has been made, the challenges that remain and the strategies that have been put in place to speed up the pace of Syrian refugee worker i...

This report provides an overview of Syrian refugee employment trends within Jordan and seeks to answer key questions related to the size and configuration of the Syrian labour force, the degree to which Syrians are employed in their preferred sector, the impact of unemployment and sector transfer on...

The West Asia-North Africa region sits at a complex crossroads where the impacts of chronic conflict, cultural fragmentation, and geopolitical interests collide. It is easy to think of the region’s future in pessimistic terms, yet while conflict and disaster provide a myriad of challenges, they also...

The West Asia-North Africa region sits at a complex crossroads where the impacts of chronic conflict, cultural fragmentation, and geopolitical interests collide. It is easy to think of the region’s future in pessimistic terms, yet while conflict and disaster provide a myriad of challenges, they also...

The West Asia-North Africa region sits at a complex crossroads where the impacts of chronic conflict, cultural fragmentation, and geopolitical interests collide. It is easy to think of the region’s future in pessimistic terms, yet while conflict and disaster provide a myriad of challenges, they also...

The employment of refugee women is a recurrent concern for international organisations and NGOs whose programmes provide protection and basic needs. Refugee women are commonly viewed as more vulnerable and at greater risk of poverty than their male counterparts. In the current context, many have sou...

As the Syrian civil war approaches its eighth year, in Jordan — where there are approximately 516,000 registered Syrians refugees living outside of the camps — observers are increasingly concerned with the relationship between these populations and host communities. Jordan’s February 2016 decision t...

Despite the military defeat of Daesh, many of the drivers which initially encouraged individuals to join a violent extremist group have not been addressed. Radicalisation does not occur in a vacuum and it has been increasingly shown that individuals adhere to violent extremist ideology because of co...

The growth of violent extremist groups in the West Asia - North Africa (WANA) region has impelled academic and policy interest in radicalisation pathways and their drivers. But while radicalisation models usually incorporate identity-related factors, identity itself is rarely a central focus. To fil...

With the recent military defeat of Daesh, the group has lost grip on its Caliphate. What remains, however, is the ideological appeal of joining its cause. In this vein, Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism efforts must be reassessed and restructured to address needs related to countering the ideo...

Winning the ideological fight against violent extremist groups such as Daesh, requires building and developing counter-narratives capable of fighting an idea with an idea. Since the task of creating counter-narratives is broad, the state often leads the efforts. Therefore, it is beneficial to examin...

It has been suggested that 3,000 of the 20,000 foreign fighters who have travelled to join Daesh have been women, and while focus has primarily been upon those who came from the West, women from the WANA region were also drawn to the cause. A discussion about the relationship between gender and viol...

This charter presents a grounding document for policy-makers, donors, and implementing partners working on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) in Jordan. Various stakeholders are already undertaking valuable P/CVE work in Jordan and this charter acknowledges the importance of that wo...

This statistics brief discusses Syrian refugee employment trends in Jordan based on a survey of 501 Syrian refugees across Amman, Irbid, Mafraq and Zarqa carried out by market research firm IPSOS in August 2017. The survey was designed with the purpose of accurately reflecting the demographic breakd...

Jordan faces dire environmental challenges. The country is ranked as having one of the lowest levels of water resource availability in the world. An already difficult situation is being exacerbated by a high influx of refugees and the impacts of climate change. In addition, Jordan is one of the few ...

This paper lays out the investment and business regulations in Jordan, and highlight the gaps between regulation and practice. The report is based on desk research and interviews with international organisations, lawyers, business owners from Amman, Zarqa, and Irbid, and government officials from th...

The threat of violent extremism facing the West Asia-North Africa (WANA) region and beyond has signalled the need for broader and more holistic conceptualisations of the key notions underpinning the phenomenon. To date, governments, donors and practitioners have approached Preventing and Countering ...

Since its signing in February 2016, the Jordan Compact has been hailed as an innovative, holistic approach that prioritises development goals in the context of a protracted humanitarian crisis. Yet as the much hoped for growth in exports to Europe — a cornerstone of the agreement — has failed to mat...

Despite significant knowledge around the drivers of radicalisation, little is known about the motivations, influences and/or stressors in play when someone harbouring radical ideology decides to join an extremist group or use violence to express their ideological convictions. Building understanding ...

The past six years have been transformative for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. As a result of the civil war in Syria, the country has absorbed more than 660,000 Syrian refugees according to the United Nations Refugee Agency; while the official census, which was conducted in December 2015, estimate...

​Jordan's policy to provide limited worker rights to Syrian refugees went into effect in April 2016. A wide range of stakeholders have supported the effort to formalise Syrian labour. Official data suggests that the Syrian refugee crisis has had little impact on leading macroeconomic indicators. Yet...

Jordan and Palestine face extreme water scarcity and potential food insecurity. These conditions threaten human security and the natural environment. This report compares the water allocation and management experience of Jordan, Palestine and Israel using the lens of economic and resource decoupling...

Jordan and Palestine face extreme water scarcity and potential food insecurity. These conditions threaten human security and the natural environment. This report compares the water allocation and management experience of Jordan, Palestine and Israel using the lens of economic and resource decoupling...

Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011, it is estimated that over 35,000 foreign fighters have joined Sunni militant groups, such as Daesh and al-Qaeda in Iraq and Syria. The threat posed by such groups — both inside conflict zones and in countries of origin — has focused attention on the dr...

From Politics to Policy: Building Resilience in West Asia and North Africa is an anthology of research conducted by the WANA Institute between 2015 and 2016 in the areas of human security, social justice, and sustainability. The chapters point to increased inter-sectorial collaboration being the key...

From Politics to Policy: Building Resilience in West Asia and North Africa is an anthology of research conducted by the WANA Institute between 2015 and 2016 in the areas of human security, social justice, and sustainability. The chapters point to increased inter-sectorial collaboration being the key...

From Politics to Policy: Building Resilience in West Asia and North Africa is an anthology of research conducted by the WANA Institute between 2015 and 2016 in the areas of human security, social justice, and sustainability. The chapters point to increased inter-sectorial collaboration being the key...

The arguments put forward in this paper suggest that the political importance of water determines the scope for diplomatic efforts. At the same time, there may be opportunities for different forms of water management that are not envisaged under traditional understandings of transboundary cooperatio...

This discussion paper gives with an overview of global environmental good governance concepts, highlighting the Islamic perspective in relation to the protection of environmental resources. It goes on to discuss ways in which religious and community leaders can promote environmental good governance,...

The aim of this charter is to offer a set of pragmatic reform guidelines which can be used to respond to the new environmental challenges facing us today. It is hoped that an opportunity can be created to overcome deep-seated divisions between nations which will create a ripple effect for better act...

In this booklet, members of the Arab Network for Pastoral Societies testify about the value of traditional pastoralist knowledge for the WANA region. Their primary goal is to revive, document and develop this knowledge in order to support the development of Bedouin pastoral groups in the Arab region...

Today, traditional land management systems are increasingly at risk. This has consequences, not only for land sustainability but also for the livelihoods and welfare of those depending on such lands. In some areas, increased land scarcity and commoditisation has precipitated a breakdown of the custo...

Research on radicalisation drivers points to complex dynamics that include economic, social, psychological, and ideological push and pull factors. This report analyses radicalisation drivers that affect Jordanian and Syrian refugee youth in four radicalisation hotbeds: Ma’an, Salt, Irbid, and Rusayf...